President John Dramani Mahama has described the project site of the Pwalugu Multipurpose Dam Project as a crime scene.
Speaking during his address to the chiefs and people of the Upper East Region as part of his Nationwide “Thank You Tour” President Mahama decried the abandonment of transformational projects.
Worried about the development gap in the Upper East , Upper West, Northern, North East and Savannah Regions, as against other parts of the country, he believes that significant steps must be taken to realize such transformational projects.
While describing the site for the Pwalugu Multipurpose Dam as a crime scene, Mr. Mahama, disclosed that the 12 million dollars expended on the project with no work done is one of the many cases the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Dr. Dominic Akuritinga Ayine is closely studying.
Despite cutting sod for the construction of the Pwalugu Multipurpose Dam before the 2020 election and the award of a contract to China Power, no significant work has been done at the site despite the government spending 12 million dollars.
The dam is meant to serve as flood control for wastewater from the annual spillage of the Bagre Dam, power generation, and irrigation of thousands of farms to boost agriculture and dry season farming.
The President is, therefore, concerned that such transformational project has been reduced to petty partisan electoral point scoring. He disclosed that he has asked the Finance Minister to commence a re-scoping of the project for consideration in the government’s Big Push infrastructural funding program.
“A project which was designed to produce about 110 megawatts of hydro and solar hybrid power, to bring thousands of hectares of land under irrigation and also serve as a whirl for flood control on the White Volta River.
Sod was cut by the outgone administration just before the 2020 elections with a lot of funfair and jubilation. Unfortunately, the project stands abandoned and has indeed become a crime scene with almost 12 million dollars of tax player’s money paid without any tangible work done,” he stated.
“This is one of hundreds of cases your son Dr. Ayine is studying as part of the government’s Operations Recovery All the Loot policy.”
President Mahama continued, stating “I have asked the Finance Minister to commence a scoping of the project and a revaluation of its various phases for inclusion into our Big Push infrastructural financing program.”
